KUNDE
I have always said that I am not a fun of greens. Growing up I only liked cabbages and I later got to enjoy sukuma wiki (Kales) but of late I have a certain fascination of trying new leafy greens that I ordinarily would not have done a few years or even months ago.
Maybe it’s growing up; I’m now a woman of a certain age you know. And I am more open to trying things that I hated as a child.
Or maybe, it’s the influence of hearing people talk about vegetables that they enjoy to eat.
Or maybe, and I think this is it, it’s because I grew some in my kitchen garden. There is a certain satisfaction I get when I walk out of my house and go pick fresh herbs and veggies to cook. I can’t even explain it but I just smile, my heart smiles.
Anyway I digress. My friend Judith told me how to make this dish. She told me to boil the Kunde in Magadi which I think is Bicarbonate of Soda. She, however, stated that traditionally or at home they use a special salt that they make from burning dried maize cobs or dried peel from green cooking bananas or dried bean husks. The ash that comes out from this burning is then put in a container with holes and hot water is put through it. The water that is gotten from this is then used to boil the vegetables. This process softens the Kunde and the ash water helps maintain the green colour.
Since I did not have the time or the means to make the ash, bicarbonate of soda had to suffice. It was quite easy to make this. I had it with ugali and tuna and I really enjoyed it. You can mix Kunde with other leafy greens such as spinach, sukuma wiki, mchicha, terere etc. I chose to make this plain as it was the first time I was eating or even preparing it. How do you like to eat your?
HAPPY COOKING!!!
Ingredients
- 2 big bunches of Kunde
- 2 Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 large Onions. chopped
- 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda
- handful of Dhania (Coriander), chopped
- 1 tablespoon Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Ginger Chillies (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
Pluck the leaves from the stalks so that you remain with the leaf ONLY Clean the leaves thoroughly.
Put the kunde in a pot add enough water to cover them completely, add the bicarbonate and boil for at least 10 minutes. Drain and set aside
Put the onions in a pot, fry until soft. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Cook for about 4 minutes till the tomatoes soften. Add the chillies and dhania and cook for a further two minutes Add the kunde and mix well.
Cook for about 3-4 minutes until warmed through. Serve hot.
HAPPY EATING
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/kunde/
13 Comments
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Judith September 24, 2012 at 11:06 AM
Perfect! I hope to taste some of the kunde you’ve made! looks yummy!
Wangeci Wandere September 25, 2012 at 5:43 AM
Anytime gal, thanx for the lesson 🙂
Lydz January 27, 2013 at 9:31 PM
Looks good you can also add coconut milk to it. Now me I don’t eat Kunde bila mrenda/okra I just can’t you got to mix kunde with mrenda for me to eat it and it has to be enough mrenda to be droopy lol tamu sanu you should try it sometime:)
Wangeci Wandere January 27, 2013 at 11:04 PM
Woi I dont really eat mrenda, I have tasted it once at my neighbours house, but she is supposed to teach me how,Even kunde I first tried it last year!! actually i think I was pretty ignorant when it comes to Kenyan veggies, Okra as well I just tried it at the end of last year. I will definitely try and add coconut milk it must be very tasty. I like mixing Kunde with Sukuma and spinach and mchicha. Its tasty.
Lydz January 27, 2013 at 9:33 PM
Just incase you want to try it not the okra fruit itself but the leaves that’s the mrenda part we use for kunde the okra fruit we cook with other meals like chicken or steamed on its own sometimes with tomatoes this method is for when cooking for a large group where not everyone eats okra so the ones who do can add the okra to their main meals…how can people not like okra eish lol
Wangeci Wandere January 27, 2013 at 11:06 PM
Wait u actually eat the Okra leaves!! I did not know. My Okra is finished now but next time i plant them I will try and cook them with kunde. I have a colleague from west Africa who also just eats it steamed!! but I will give it a try
Lydz January 28, 2013 at 12:47 AM
Mrenda is the okra leaves in swahili its called binda or mabenda. The fruit is the one we call Okra in Kenya and refer to the leaves as mrenda even though the entire plant is called Okra. West Africans eat both the leaf and fruit. The leaf is just as droopy as the fruit
Wangeci Wandere January 28, 2013 at 8:39 AM
I thought mrenda was a completely different plant, in fact i thought it was a creeper (is that what they are called, like passion fruit plant??) Funny enough none of my friends who eat mrenda asked for the leaves, they probaly had no idea it was eaten, oooh even my colleague who is Ghanaian never asked for the leaves but he came for the fruit a couple of times, Ill ask around about preparation next time i plant them
Lydz January 28, 2013 at 9:14 PM
That’s probably because they have never seen an okra plant before and i believe those who grow it harvest the leaves before the fruit is fully formed. I only discovered this two years ago i was in the group that had never seen the actual plant and mum always bought veggies so i had no clue what goes on but since discovering this i have looked closely and found mrenda that has a small budding fruit being sold which expalins why okra is not that common in our diet because the farmers never let the fruit grow. It is more commonly eaten in Sierra Leone they also eat sweet potatoe leaves over there which tastes exactly like kunde and cassava leaves too eaten in SL and Liberia and apparently very common in the DRC too.
Wangeci Wandere January 29, 2013 at 8:52 AM
so is the mrenda plant a creeper or a kawaida tree?
Lydz January 29, 2013 at 4:28 PM
Mrenda and Okra belong to the same family called Malvacae that has over 400 species no wonder we are confused. To my non agricultural eyes both plants look exactly the same and the leaves produce the same slimy droopiness what I am sure of is the Mrenda species does not produce “grown up” fruit while the Okra species does. I am clueless about agric stuff but the mrenda plant looks exactly like an okra plant bila the fruits so not sure if it’s a creeper or tree sorry I just refere to it as a plant apparantely Mrenda is refered to in English as Jute Mallow just google the names and check out the leaf images more or less the same
Wangeci Wandere January 29, 2013 at 4:45 PM
Looks like a tree, creepers dont stand on their own they creep on other plants or walls to grow. there isa plant we pounded when we were kids it was so slimy and we called it Mrenda guess we were soo wrong!! thanx for the lesson dear!
Lydz January 28, 2013 at 12:50 AM
English name Ladys fingers or lady fingers not too sure just google